Pharmaceutical services in Primary Health Care (PHC) in São Paulo: a participant observation study

Objective: To understand how pharmaceutical services happen, based on reflection on the different models of Primary Health Care. 

Method: The study is a Participant Observation, which uses ethnography as an approach. Data collection took place in three Primary Healthcare Centers (UBS) in three different regions in São Paulo. Analytical induction and rooted theory are the guiding references for the analysis of Participant Observation field notebooks.

Results: The conceptual categories are grouped into those related to the pharmacist himself, facilitators for the services, limiters for the services and aspects that are fundamental, such as the dispensing of medicines as a central service in PHC. Three models of the pharmacist's performance were observed, and all pharmacists have work processes linked to PHC precepts. The evidence obtained was demonstrated in conceptual categories related to the different perspectives of pharmaceutical services in PHC, which enabled the understanding that the pharmacist is the reference in medicines in health units. 

Conclusion: Using participant observation, it was possible to visualize that pharmaceutical services in PHC tend to understand that people are not equal, and that it is necessary to recognize health and, therefore, social needs in order to build results in health. However, different models can be found, which generate different pharmaceutical service conceptions related to PHC models, some of which are universal and integral versus models of universal coverage, more focused and selective.